New Rhinestone Pick Up Tool

Posted by: Stefanie Brawner, Pretty Snazzy Vintage Jewelry & Supplies

16 November 2013

I've never been one who likes dopper sticks to pick up rhinestones. My dear, darling sister Melissa at www.jewelryrepaircompany.com (shameless plug) has tried about everyone one out there though and found this one. She got me one and I was sold! I loved it so much that I am carrying it now! It's made by BeadSmith and comes with a little "rejuvenating" block to use if it starts losing its stickiness. One end of the stick is for picking up the rhinestones and the other end can be used to help position the stone. One thing that is really important - the sticky side does not leave a residue on the stone. That was one of the things I never liked with wax dop sticks.

Cotton Pearls - What are they?

Posted by: Stefanie Brawner, Pretty Snazzy Vintage Jewelry & Supplies

08 September 2013

These beautiful beads are called "Cotton Pearls" and are from Germany.
They are each handmade from multiple layers of a paper mache type
material. They are very lightweight yet surprisingly strong. I tried to
crush one to see how strong they were and couldn't do it. Since they are
handcrafted, each one is a little different. If you are looking for a perfectly shaped, uniformed size bead, this one isn't for you. But if you are looking for something a bit more unique, they are awesome!

Vitrail Medium aka Watermelon Rhinestones Stones - Swarovski vs Czech

Posted by: Stefanie Brawner, Pretty Snazzy Vintage Jewelry & Supplies

02 September 2013

Vitrail Medium is more commonly known as "Watermelon Stones". The gorgeous colors have been blended for a rainbow effect. When you are replacing rhinestones, you may wonder why the colors aren't matching up. Here are the two that you see most commonly. The first is the Swarovski Vitrail Medium and the second is the Czech.

Rhinestones - Machine Cut vs Table Cut/Polished vs Fire Polished

Posted by: Stefanie Brawner, Pretty Snazzy Vintage Jewelry & Supplies

07 August 2013

One of the most common questions people have about rhinestones is what the difference is between machine cut, table cut or table polished and fire polished. A picture is worth a thousand words, which is why I'm putting in pictures, but here are the basic differences. The photos are a mix of Swarovski (Austrian) and Czech rhinestones.

1st Photo - Machine Cut (MC) - These have nice sharp facets like what you would see on a gemstone. They are the most expensive too! In about 2005-ish, Swarovski made major changes in their business structure. At that time the prices became substantially more for the "fancy" shaped machine cut stones - like 3 times as much by the time the European VAT taxes were added in. The round stones...

Swarovski Rhinestone Colors - Special Effects Colors

Posted by: Stefanie Brawner, Pretty Snazzy Vintage Jewelry & Supplies

13 June 2013

Here are some of the special effects stones that Swarovski does or has done. Swarovski changes these all of the time. The aurora borealis or AB finish is probably the one that is seen the most. This technique was "invented" by Swarovski in 1953 or 1955, depending on whose research you use. It is a rainbow-like iridescent finish. It can be difficult to identify which color is which because many times they looked very different from the original color. Swarovski has greatly reduced the number of colors that they put this finish on. The one in the chart is the most common - Crystal AB.

Other colors on this chart are:

Comet - A shiny metallic silver. Sometimes referred to as an imitation marcasite.